1,000 couples in Mass Wedding in Kano

Kano State Hisbah Board yesterday married off 1,000 couples in the third batch of the Kano State sponsored mass wedding of divorces, widows and spinsters as part of the government's efforts to reduce marital problem in the society.

The grand wedding fatiha took place simultaneously at the Emir Palace Central Mosque and the palaces of the District Heads of the 44 local government areas of the state.

At the Emir Palace mosque the weddings were solemnized after payment of N10,000 dowries by the representative of the grooms in the presence of Kano State Governor, Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso.

In his brief speech at the occasion, Kwankwaso thanked the Hisbah Board, Islamic scholars and traditional rulers who helped toward the success of the wedding Fatiha and prayed to Allah to make the marriage a means of development to the state and the country at large.

The Commandant General of the Hisbah Board, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa said the historic wedding Fatiha that saw 1,000 couples married at the same time entered history as the first of its kind on African continent.

"We're grateful to Allah for realizing our dream of marrying off 1,000 women as part of our commitment to mitigate the social malaise we're facing in our society," Daurawa said.

Daurawa said individuals and groups gave money to the grooms to pay for their dowries and the state government provided the brides with furniture, kitchen wares and foodstuffs as well as N20,000 to each couple to enable them start small businesses.

The Hisbah CG thanked individuals and organisations that helped towards the success of the event and enjoined the couples to have fear of Allah in their new life.

One of the beneficiaries, Muhammad Dauda expressed delight and commended the state government and the Hisbah Board for organising and sponsoring their weddings.

"Today is the happiest day of my life. I can't thank the governor enough for making me realize my dream of getting married.

"All I can say for now is, may Allah bless him and guide him to continue the good work he's doing in Kano State," Dandoya said.

The event had in attendance the state governor, commissioners, members of the State House of Assembly, Sarkin Sudan Alhaji Shehu Malami as well as prominent Islamic scholars in the state.

The state government also organised a Walima (marriage) bouquet for the brides and the grooms at the Hisbah Board premises and the Kano State Government House respectively.



SOURCE:Daily Trust

Nigeria: APC Merger, Solution to Nigeria's Problem

INTERVIEW

Senator Sulaiman Mohammed Nazif is a one-time Senator, Bauchi North senatorial district, and current chairman, communications and contact sub-committee of the CPC. In this interview, Nazif bares his mind on the need for the APC merger and other sundry issues.

Your party, CPC, inaugurated a Committee on Contact and Mobilisation which you lead; what is the function of the committee?

The Committee on Contact and Mobilisation was inaugurated and I was made the chairman of communications and contact sub-committee. Part of our responsibility is to go down to all the six geopolitical zones of the country and discuss with party elders and members, tell them the need and the desire of our party to be part of this merger.

Already, our leader, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, is at the forefront of this merger talks. In fact, APC today would stand as a multifunctional party, which on one hand stands as a deterrent to the ruling party, PDP, and on the other hand, as a solution that will address the socio-political and economic problems that bedevil our dear country, Nigeria.

It is no longer news that we are facing security challenges in our present-day Nigeria more than ever; the desire of merger cannot be over-emphasised because the masses of this country are familiar with the antics of the ruling party, and the only solution to rigging and bring development to the people is to have APC on board.

We recently went to Lagos under the leadership of our great party leader, Gen. Buhari, who led the delegation, to witness convention of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and we saw for ourselves how the people of the South West and indeed Nigerians across the 36 states of the federation were strongly enthusiastic that this merger is the only solution and the only avenue for Nigerians to realise their desired expectations.

Is the function of your committee restricted to the CPC members only or does it extend to other merging parties?

The function of our committee is to relate very closely with the CPC teeming members as well as those that are sympathetic towards the cause and the objectives of the CPC. We are to reach out to the general public, community leaders, traditional rulers, as well as various groups and organisations, including students and women, to ensure at the end of the day our teeming supporters get into the merger with strength and character, and to reach out to aggrieved party leaders and supporters so that the full strength of the CPC in the merger will come to bear.
This is the only party that is close to the common man and its strength was shown clearly by the number of votes that our leader, Gen. Buhari, scored during the last general election. So it is imperative for us to reach out to the people and tell them the decision of the leadership and the reasons for joining the merger.
Already we have been receiving supports and letters on the merger. We have a visionary leader, whose desire is to ensure that Nigeria becomes a better place for us to live in. We all know of his antecedents as a great Nigerian, a former head of state, one of the most disciplined Nigerians. And as chairman of the Petroleum Task Fund (PTF), and I can confidently tell you that the Nigerian younger generation and Nigerian professionals have never had it so good in Nigeria than when Gen. Buhari was the chairman of PTF because he engaged them judiciously. Gen. Buhari again created a platform called the CPC where millions of Nigerians actualised their dreams.
This is a leader who at every point in time has always provided opportunities for Nigerians to make their dreams come true. He did that in his career as a professional military officer, and, as head of state, his record speaks volume in PTF and as a leader of a political party. Gen. Buhari is a man that has always identified with the common man.
In the history of political mergers in Nigeria, talks seem to end when it comes to the selection of presidential candidate. What assurances would you give Nigerians that things won't go this same way this time around?
The beauty of this merger is that the leaders of CPC and ACN, in the persons of Gen. Buhari and Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu respectively, and the other political parties' leaders in APC are truly respected progressive elders of this country. I just cited an instance on how Gen. Buhari helped a lot of Nigerians to actualise their dreams.
On the other hand, Sen. Tinubu provided a platform under the ACN which also provided opportunities for thousands of Nigerians to also actualise their potential and dreams by becoming leaders in various capacities in this country. When you bring these two men together, you will know that this merger is a reality. Therefore we are calling on all Nigerians to believe in this merger and join this APC project.
Is it true that you are lobbying some of the PDP governors to join the APC merger?
For sure. You know when something is good, you must be attracted to it and I can assure you that this is a noble intention. This is the only initiative that will salvage this country, unless we don't want that. Nigeria today desires this merger more than ever.
The timing is superb and right; and a lot of governors, National Assembly members and Nigerians from all walks of life are waiting for the finalisation of this merger talk which is ongoing. The CPC will be holding its convention on May 11, 2013, and on that day, the masses of this country, the true 'Talakawas' of Nigeria and the true grassroots members, will know that this merger is a reality.
What is the place of APGA in the merger talk, as a faction is supporting the merger, while another is against it?
We have a committee on merger that is responsible for addressing this question. All political parties involved have the merger committee and these are the leaders that have been charged with the responsibility of talking on issues or the nitty-gritty on the merger itself. But, as far as we are concerned, APGA is not coming as a political party, but as a group because a faction of the party is not in support of the merger.
At this point I will like to commend Governor Rochas Okorocha for being counted among those that want to make Nigeria a better place. I can tell you that as soon as this merger talk succeeds, all the other parties, movements and groups throughout Nigeria will join. Even the South East will join Governor Okorocha in the APC.
What hope will Nigeria have with Gen. Buhari as its leader?
First, Nigeria requires a leader with experience, a leader that has been tested - we cannot accommodate inexperience or afford another experiment; a leader that can command the respect of the nation; a leader that would provide opportunities for the younger generation to strive. Nigeria requires a leader that will make things work, that can identify the best and work with the best to achieve the required result.
He is a leader that can bridge the gap between the masses and the leadership, a leader that feels the pains Nigeria is going through. When times have changed, the prerequisite required of a leader must fit these specifications and Gen. Buhari fits this more than anyone.
Gen. Buhari is an exemplary leader and a role model for Nigerians, and I strongly believe, by his antecedents, he would imbibe the culture of the separation of powers; he would not interfere with the National Assembly, thereby allowing the National Assembly achieve its best with Gen Buhari as president. With Gen. Buhari, every institution will work - he will not interfere with the judiciary, and with him governors will remain in their states and work, not as we now have where they are always in Abuja.
He is not looking for money; I strongly believe that the nation's resources will be saved in the hands of Gen. Buhari. His interest is Nigeria; his desire is a progressive Nigeria that will take its proper place within the comity of nations. He is passionate about anything that will make Nigeria work and, above all, he is a law abiding citizen who respects the rule of law.
So, Gen Buhari suites the leader Nigeria is looking for. This is a man that won elections thrice, but was denied. The lesson learnt here is that the man has learnt patience, which other leaders do not have. Gen. Buhari is the only Nigerian alive whose goodwill has earned him more than 12 million votes influenced by nothing other than his goodwill, uninfluenced and unprotected votes; even after cutting all that they could cut, he was still left with more than 12 million votes.
This is a man who eats the same type of food with the man in the rural areas of this country, he lives in the same type of house like the masses live in; the houses of his neighbours around are much more bigger than his; he drives the same kind of car that the average Nigerian drives and yet he was a former head of state in Nigeria.


source:allAfrica

Who blinks first in Ekiti?

-As Adeyeye joins guber race

By Gboyega Adeoye

The audibility of drumbeat of political activities in the once sleepy Ekiti State is no longer in question. Trade, cultural as well as social groups are now shedding their original garment to don the toga of politics in preparation for the gubernatorial primaries that will usher in the elections in 2014. And as is always the case, it has been a game of wit, ego and popularity contest on the part of the many contestants that are gunning for the state’s number one position.

 

Intra party wrangling and naked political brigandage such that preceded notable elections in the state in which change has always proved itself as permanent feature is already taking place while the two dominant political parties in the state noted for its sophistication in politics are already putting heads together on how to gain the reins of power as a mark of justification for their avowed popularities. It will be recalled that the Alliance for Democracy (AD) was first to lead the state in the twilight of current political dispensation before power changed hand to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which held sway for almost two terms before a law court reversed the continuity and gave incumbent Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Kayode Fayemi the mandate to rule till 2014.

 

What makes the coming governorship elections thicker than it used to be in the past is that, while the PDP has not for once accepted the ruling that ousted it from the state’s leadership, almost at the peak of the second lap, the ACN on the other hand is making effort to proof that the mandate it secured through the court is justified in the next election.

 

“All that we are seeing today is not strange in Ekiti politics. It is a game of popularity that should be expected between the two dominant parties in the state. They have to do this because of the sophistication in politics that have come to bare in our past elections where no party can claim that it can go to sleep on assumption that it has bought the heart of the people,” were the words of Adelana Adeyanju, a youth leader and Vice Chairman of Ekiti Alliance for Democratic Stability (EADS).

 

According to Adeyanju, the ongoing internal wrangling in the ruling ACN and lingering disregard for the ideals of democracy may earn the PDP a high mark if the latter is careful in the selection of who lift its flag in the coming gubernatorial elections. “It is all going to be about personality and not party affiliation this time. The Ekiti people have decided to retrace their steps and do it right again. We are tired of theories. We want to see things that will actually turn our desires to reality on table, so if any political party thinks it has come to stay, I am sorry. It has happened several times before and it is bound to happen again,” Adeyanju stressed.

 

And true to Adeyanju’s words, a group called Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM) took the people of the state by surprise when they held a press conference in support of the candidature of astute lawyer and former spokesman of Yoruba Pan socio-political organisation, Adedayo Adeyeye as coming governor of Ekiti State.

 

“We have called you here today to inform you formally that Prince Dayo Adeyeye, a one-time spokesperson of Afenifere, the pan Yoruba Socio-Political organisation, a lawyer and journalist will on Monday, April 29, 2013 formally declare his intention to contest for the office of Governor of Ekiti State in 2014 under the platform of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” the group had declared.

 

Adeyeye, is to submit his letter of intent for the post in a colourful event that will draw all well wishers as well as party faithfuls across Nigeria on Monday just as his campaign office will be opened formally.

 Prince Dayo Adeyeye’s decision to throw his hat into the ring and vie for the governorship ticket of the party is said to have been borne out of the collective desire to save Ekiti State “from governance by deceit and credit, which the present government in the State represents.

 

“We believe that Prince Dayo Adeyeye has the capacity to govern Ekiti State responsibly and harness all its human and natural resources without plunging the State into unwarranted debt. It is also our belief that the governor Ekiti people desire at this time is one who has the capability to offer real governance, not governance by deceit and credit that is being witnessed in the State now.”

 

The group told the mammoth crowd that witnessed the briefing that its major concern is accountability in governance and prudence on the part of whoever will lead the state.

 

“For instance, you all know that for the first time in the history of Ekiti State, our State is being run on credit. Funds that should accrue to the State in the next 20 years are being taken in advance through questionable loans and bond, with the implication that future generation of Ekiti people will be saddled with the task of repaying loans already spent even when they were yet to be born.

 

“More painful is the fact that loans and bonds are being taken by the present government, not to execute income generating projects but to construct a new government house (even when the present government house is one of the biggest in the country), build civic centre, lay asphalt on already asphalted roads, power street lights with generators, and purchase fraudulent awards.

 

“A few days ago, we were told that the dualisation of the 19km Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki road initiated by the Segun Oni-led PDP government had been increased from N7.4bn to N11bn. That road was initially awarded by the Segun Oni’s government for N6.3bn and reviewed upward to N7.4bn owing to the change in design so as to remove all the bends at the Iworoko part of the road, which required blasting of rocks and construction of extra drainages. 

 

Now, the same Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) government, which claimed that the contractor was overpaid and that the N1.1bn increment by the PDP government was not justified, has increased the contract sum by N3bn (50 percent)!”

 

Noting that Adeyeye has all that it takes to fly the kite for the PDP and also deliver the dividend of democracy for the state, the group said “we are confident that Prince Dayo Adeyeye will fly the PDP flag in the 2014 governorship election. It is an assurance that we have because he has the name, pedigree, credibility and records of performance in public office that no one can question.

 

“Most importantly, every lover of the PDP both in and outside Ekiti State is of the opinion that whoever will fly the PDP flag in 2014 must be someone, who is not burdened by any negativity that will become a campaign issue during the election.

Today, Prince Dayo Adeyeye is among the few governorship aspirants in the PDP in Ekiti State that do not have any burden of negative credentials to carry on their shoulders.”

 

Aside from the credibility of the candidate, it is the general consensus that the Southern Senatorial District of the State, which has never produced the State governor since 1999 must produce the next governor of the State, and, according to them, “this is not negotiable.”

 

GANI ADAMS AND HIS ANTICS

Comrade O.Odunayo[1st right]

OPC members at the press briefing

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I welcome you to this brief press conference on behalf of the Oodua Peoples Congress [OPC] under the leadership of our Founder and President, Dr Frederick Iseotan Fasehun.
In recent  times, we have been watching the deliberate falsehood been churned out by the belligerent leader of the breakaway  faction of the Congress, Mr Gani Adams, especially as regards the establishment/formation of the Oodua Peoples Congress.
We thought as  a young man who joined the Congress four after it was established by Dr Fasehun and other matured minds and the peace brokered by the former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Gani would have come to his senses and come back to the fold.
Instead, he continued using abusive comment against the personality of our Founder and President who is older enough to be his father.
In Yoruba culture, you do not abuse nor slap your elder.
What Gani has been doing over the years is tantamount to slapping our founder and president and we want to say and warn that enough is enough, he should henceforth put a stop to his tantrums against Dr Fasehun, the Founder and President of Oodua Peoples Congress.
We are issuing this warning based on his latest attack on our leader published in the Saturday  Punch of April,20,2013.
Though, in the interview , he was quoted as saying  of Dr Fasehun Fasehun,:’’ He was my leader from the beginning........’’.
If at this point, he can publicly say that Dr Fasehun was his leader  from the beginning, why then should he continued abusing and attacking his leader in the media. Something must have gone wrong with him.
He should retrace his path to that of honour so that his motley following will not later turn against him for leading them into perfidy when the truth about who Gani Adams is, is later unfolded. To put the records straight, Gani Adams was never part of the foundation members of the Oodua Peoples Congress as he has consistently claimed.
As far back as 1994 in the early days of the OPC founded by Dr Fasehun, Gani Adams was not known to our president nor members of the Congress and he was neither  an officer of the Congress.
Gani came to be known to members in 1998 after the arrest of Dr Frederick Fasehun by the late Head of State, General Sanni Abacha during our meeting at Olusoga in Mushin, Lagos State when he contributed to discussions at hand.
It was after the release of Dr Fasehun by the former Head of State, General Abubakar   that Gani Adams was made the Deputy National Co-ordinator due to his vocal contributions at meetings.
It was the duo of Evangelist Kunle Adesokan, the Secretary General of OPC and Alhaji Lawal, the then Baba Oodua that introduced Gani Adams to members as Deputy National Co-ordinator  in December 1998 during a rally in Ondo town.
Apart from these two personalities, other notable founding members of the Congress include- Dr Beko Ransome Kuti of the blessed memory, who was the first National Treasurer of the Congress; Alhaji Sule popularly known as ‘Gaari Ifo’, Mr Makinde, the then Chairman of the Congress in Lagos State, Mr Alaka and Mr Gbenga of Ondo State were all in the Congress before Gani came to limelight.
How can he then be claiming that he was part of the foundation members of the Congress which he joined four years after its formation? 
It was on March 1st 1999 that Gani formed a break-away faction of OPC for reasons best known to him.
On May 15, 1999 at Adamasingba Stadium convention of the Oodua Peoples Congress, members present adopted declaration  and adopted Dr Frederick Iseotan Fasehun as the Founder cum President of the Congress, Chief Orebote as the Vice President and Kayode Ogundamisi formerly of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria[FAAN] as the Secretary General and Alhaji Jimoh Toyin as Organising Secretary of OPC.
The question again is was he[Gani] in the Congress or known to members before the aforementioned officers of the Congress? Definitely No!
It was after a crisis caused by Gani Adams members in Mushin in February 2005 in which our members were attacked and we retaliated that he went to the then Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State to plead for his intervention that a peace treaty was arrived at and Gani Adams was made the National Co-ordinator while Dr Frederick Fasehun retained his position as the Founder and National  President of Oodua Peoples  Congress.
If Gani is truly a Yoruba from Ondo State, he should learn to respect elders and abide by treaty jointly endorsed. It should also be noted that Gani Adams, who was a carpenter by profession, solicited for and given a loan some years back by Dr Fasehun to purchase motorcycle[Okada] and up till today he has not refunded the loan.
The position of National Co-ordinator nor any other offices in the Congress are not permanent nor a family affairs, it can be revoked at any time and given to other deserving member[s] of the Congress.
A word is enough for the wise! On his attack on Dr Fasehun as regards his re-launching of the Unity Party of Nigeria[UPN], again Gani missed the point.
Before the formation of OPC, Dr Fasehun was a founding member of NADECO which gave birth to our present  democratic dispensastion and if he felt that the democracy he and others fought for is not what is being practised today, he has the right to join, float or resuscitate any political party of his choice.
So, re-launching  UPN as Dr Fasehun did recently is not an offence nor aberration, it is the inalienable right of every Nigerian. UPN is definitely different from Oodua Peoples Congress.
Dr Fasehun’s leadership of  UPN does not in anyway affect the objectives and operations of OPC as an organisation set up to protect and defend the interest of the Yoruba Nation. 

*This address was delivered last Friday,26,April in Lagos by Comrade Ogunmoye Odunayo,Deputy National Co-ordinator

Nigerians Spend N2 Trillion on Calls, SMSes

Nigerians are said to have spent some N2.14 trillion on phone calls and sending short message service (SMS) between January, 2011 and December, 2012, according to a report released by FBN Capital Research.

With a total total subscriber base of 113.2 million, the report said that operators see more opportunities in the provision of data services to the subscribers and are investing to tap into the new cash cow of the telecoms sector..

“Nigerians spent an estimated N2.14trillion ($13.7b) on calls and text messages between January, 2011 and December, 2012, but the operators see a lucrative future in the supply of data services.

The research also found that MTN has said that its data sales doubled in 2012, albeit from a low base.

“A pick-up in the sale of smartphones has helped, and their pricing has become more competitive

Statistics from the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), showed that the number of active telecoms lines increased by 19.0 per cent year-on-year (y/y) in January to 113.2 million.

“This rate of expansion compares very favourably with annual demographic growth, which the United Nations estimates at 2.4 per cent and the Federal Government of Nigeria at more than 3.0 per cent. The operators have not exhausted the pool of potential new subscribers, judging from the current teledensity rate of 68.5 per cent on an estimated population of 167 million.

“We cannot quantify the incidence of the user with several handsets, but we can say that it is generally driven by poor quality service. It should decline with the planned introduction of number portability if we treat at face value the confidence of some operators on the basis of their investments that they will take business off their competitors,” the report averred.

Sector analysts, say data sales will be constrained by flaws in the broadband infrastructure, and the high cost for the operators of right of way (RoW) procurement and building approvals from multiple regulatory and revenue collection agencies of government.

Despite the landing of submarine cables, like MainOne, Glo 1 and the West African Cable Systems (WACS), heavily funded by MTN, the user experience in data has been provocative.

 Owners of these cable companies complain of dearth of middle and last mile infrastructure to take the bandwidth from the shore to the end users.

AVIATION JOURNALISTS CAUTION GOVTS ON NIMET FLOOD ALERT l

The League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) has called on state governments to take adequate precautionary measures to avoid a repeat of the 2012 flooding in some states of the federation.
Reacting to the 2013 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) which identified some states that would be vulnerable to flooding this year, LAAC warned that the agency's prediction should be adhered to strictly.
In a statement signed by the chairman and secretary of the league, Messrs Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo and Ime Akpan respectively, LAAC expressed dissatisfaction at the attitude of some state governments that failed to take the 2012 predictions seriously. "Had they not treated the warning with levity, last year's flooding in some states and its attendant gory spectacle would have been avoided."
The statement added that in a recent prediction, the director general of NIMET, Dr Anthony Anuforom, warned that there will be above normal rainfall in four states of the federation in comparison with that of 2012.
He said the affected states-Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and their environs would likely have above normal rainfall and advised relevant authorities to always use NIMET’s updates to control possible adverse impact.
Besides, he said normal rainfall over large areas of the country with enough water in lakes, dams and rivers for both hydroelectric power generations as well as for irrigation would be recorded.

Anuforom further said the expected changes in the predicted annual rainfall were below normal in Abeokuta and above normal in Ibadan and Yelwa.
However, he pointed out that the prediction of normal rainfall for the country "does not rule out chances of abnormal conditions in some states as experienced in the previous year while catchment areas of River Niger and parts of the Niger Delta in particular are likely to have more rains in 2013 than the previous year."

The League urged all the states especially Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Kwara to avail themselves of the agency's timely warning and put measures in place to mitigate the effect of any untoward situation.
It also urged the affected states to liaise with the agency "especially now that the federal government has equipped NIMET to provide world-class meteorological services."

Nigerian Naira Falls 1st Time in 5 Days on Demand Before Auction

Nigeria’s naira retreated for the first time in five days as as demand for dollars increased before the central bank’s first foreign-exchange auction of the week.

The currency of Africa’s biggest oil producer depreciated 0.1 percent to 157.60 per dollar as of 12:36 p.m. in Lagos, the commercial capital, its biggest decline since March 28, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The Central Bank of Nigeria sold $237 million at an auction on April 3, its only sale of foreign currency last week because of a public holiday. 

That compared with $576.6 million sold in the previous week. The regulator offers foreign currency at auctions on Mondays and Wednesdays to maintain exchange-rate stability.

“There is increased demand for the dollar today as there was only one auction last week,” Sewa Wusa, head of research at Sterling Capital Ltd., said by phone from Lagos today.

Borrowing costs on Nigeria’s local-currency debt due January 2022 rose two basis points to 10.91 percent, according to April 5 prices compiled by the Financial Markets Dealers Association. 

Yields on Nigeria’s $500 million of Eurobonds due January 2021 declined six basis points to 4.23 percent today.

Ghana’s cedi fell 0.1 percent to 1.9445 per dollar in Accra.

source:Bloomberg/businessweek

Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher dies

Baroness Thatcher, was the first woman to be UK prime minister

Continue reading the main story

Baroness Thatcher 1925-2013

Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher has died "peacefully" at the age of 87 after suffering a stroke, her family has announced.

Successor David Cameron called her a "great Briton" and the Queen spoke of her sadness at the death.

Lady Thatcher was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990. She was the first woman to hold the role.

She will not be accorded a state funeral, in accordance with her own wishes, Downing Street said.

Mr Cameron, who is in Madrid for meetings, has cancelled planned talks in Paris with French President Francois Hollande and will return to the UK later on Monday.

'Great leader'

Lady Thatcher, born Margaret Roberts, served as MP for Finchley, north London, from 1959 to 1992.

Having been education secretary, she successfully challenged former prime minister Edward Heath for her party's leadership in 1975 and won general elections in 1979, 1983 and 1987.

Lady Thatcher's government privatised several state-owned industries. She was also in power when the UK went to war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982.

In a statement on the Downing Street Twitter feed, Mr Cameron said: "It was with great sadness that l learned of Lady Thatcher's death. We've lost a great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton."

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family."

London Mayor Boris Johnson tweeted: "Very sad to hear of death of Baroness Thatcher. Her memory will live long after the world has forgotten the grey suits of today's politics."

UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage called Lady Thatcher a "great inspiration", adding: "Whether you loved her or hated her nobody could deny that she was a great patriot, who believed passionately in this country and her people. A towering figure in recent British and political history has passed from the stage. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family."

Senior Conservative MP David Davis said: "Margaret Thatcher was the greatest of modern British prime ministers, and was central to the huge transformation of the whole world that took place after the fall of the Soviet Union.

"Millions of people in Britain and around the world owe her a debt of gratitude for their freedom and their quality of life, which was made possible by her courageous commitment to the principles of individual freedom and responsibility."

Lady Thatcher had suffered poor health for several years.

Tension in the Korean Peninsula: North Korea may be preparing to test missiles

A top South Korean national security official said Sunday that North Korea may be setting the stage for a missile test or another provocative act with its warning that it soon will be unable to guarantee diplomats' safety in Pyongyang. But he added that the North's clearest objective is to extract concessions from Washington and Seoul.

North Korea's warning last week followed weeks of war threats and other efforts to punish South Korea and the U.S. for ongoing joint military drills, and for their support of U.N. sanctions over Pyongyang's Feb. 12 nuclear test. Many nations are deciding what to do about the notice, which said their diplomats' safety in Pyongyang cannot be guaranteed beginning this Wednesday.

Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang led South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff to announce Sunday that its chairman had put off a visit to Washington. The South Korean defense minister said Thursday that North Korea had moved a missile with "considerable range" to its east coast, possibly to conduct a test launch.

His description suggests that the missile could be the Musudan missile, capable of striking American bases in Guam with its estimated range of up to 4,000 kilometers (2,490 miles).

Citing North Korea's suggestion that diplomats leave the country, South Korean President Park Geun-hye's national security director said Pyongyang may be planning a missile launch or another provocation around Wednesday, according to presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing.

During a meeting with other South Korean officials, the official, Kim Jang-Soo, also said the notice to diplomats and other recent North Korean actions are an attempt to stoke security concerns and to force South Korea and the U.S. to offer a dialogue. Washington and Seoul want North Korea to resume the six-party nuclear talks — which also include China, Russia and Japan — that it abandoned in 2009.

The roughly two dozen countries with embassies in North Korea have not yet announced whether they will evacuate their staffs.

Indonesia's foreign affairs ministry said it was considering a plan to evacuate its diplomats. A statement released by the ministry on Saturday said that its embassy in Pyongyang has been preparing a contingency plan to anticipate the worst-case scenario, and that the Indonesian foreign minister is communicating with the staff there to monitor the situation.

India also said it was monitoring events. "We have been informed about it," said Syed Akbaruddin, spokesman for India's external affairs ministry. "We are in constant touch with our embassy and are monitoring the situation. We will carefully consider all aspects and decide well in time."

Seoul and Washington, which lack diplomatic relations with the North, are taking the threats seriously, though they say they have seen no signs that Pyongyang is preparing for a large-scale attack.

Kim Jang-soo said the North would face "severalfold damages" for any hostilities. Since 2010, when attacks Seoul blames on North Korea killed 50 people, South Korea has vowed to aggressively respond to any future attack.

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jung Seung-jo had planned to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Gen. Martin Dempsey, in Washington on April 16 for regular talks. But tensions on the Korean Peninsula are so high that Jung cannot take a long trip away from South Korea, so the meeting will be rescheduled, a South Korean Joint Chiefs officer said Sunday. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office policy.

The U.S. Defense Department has delayed an intercontinental ballistic missile test that had been planned for this week because of concerns the launch could be misinterpreted and exacerbate the Korean crisis, a senior defense official told The Associated Press.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel decided to delay the test at an Air Force base in California until sometime next month, the official said Saturday. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the test delay and requested anonymity.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has followed provocations from North Korea with shows of force connected to the joint exercises with South Korea. It has sent nuclear capable B-2 and B-52 bombers and stealth F-22 fighters to participate in the drills.

In addition, the U.S. said last week that two of the Navy's missile-defense ships were moved closer to the Korean Peninsula, and a land-based missile-defense system is being deployed to the Pacific territory of Guam later this month. The Pentagon last month announced longer-term plans to strengthen its U.S.-based missile defenses.

The U.S. military also is considering deploying an intelligence drone at the Misawa Air Base in northern Japan to step up surveillance of North Korea, a Japanese Defense Ministry official said Sunday.

Three Global Hawk surveillance planes are deployed on Guam and one of them is being considered for deployment in Japan, the official said on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak about the issue.

North Korea successfully shot a satellite into space in December and conducted its third nuclear test in February. It has threatened to launch a nuclear attack on the United States, though many analysts say the North hasn't achieved the technology to manufacture a miniaturized nuclear warhead that could fit on a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S.

North Korea also raised tensions Wednesday when it barred South Koreans and supply trucks from entering the Kaesong industrial complex, where South Korean companies have employed thousands of North Korean workers for the past decade.

North Korea is not forcing South Korean managers to leave the factory complex, and nearly 520 of them remained at Kaesong on Sunday. But the entry ban at the park, the last remaining inter-Korean rapprochement project, is posing a serious challenge to many of the more than 120 South Korean firms there because they are running out of raw materials and are short on replacement workers.

Nine more firms, including food and textile companies, have stopped operations at Kaesong, bringing to 13 the total number of companies that have done so, South Korea's Unification Ministry said in a statement Sunday.

North Korea briefly restricted the heavily fortified border crossing at Kaesong in 2009 — also during South Korea-U.S. drills — but manufacturers fear the current border shutdown could last longer.

Sectarian clashes erupt after Coptic funeral in Cairo

One person was killed and more than 80 wounded in clashes at the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in central Cairo on Sunday after a funeral service for four Egyptian Christians killed in sectarian violence with Muslims, state media said

Christian-Muslim confrontations have increased in Muslim-majority Egypt since the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 gave freer rein to hard line Islamists repressed under his autocratic rule.
The state news agency MENA said 84 people had been injured in several hours of fighting after a ceremony at the cathedral, headquarters of the Coptic church, which was showered with stones, petrol bombs and bird-shot.
The man killed on Sunday was identified by MENA as 30-year-old Mahrous Hana Tadros, a Christian name.
Police fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowds but clashes continued late into the evening. MENA said 11 policemen were among the wounded.
Violence also broke out near a Coptic church in El Khusus north of Cairo, where four Christians and one Muslim were killed late on Friday when members of both communities started shooting at each other.
MENA said 12 people were wounded, and two apartments and a cafe set on fire by petrol bombs.
In Cairo, trouble erupted after hundreds of angry Copts attended the funeral service at St. Mark’s Cathedral for Friday’s killed Copts, chanting “With our blood and soul we will sacrifice ourselves for the cross.”
Some mourners also shouted slogans calling for the departure of President Mohammed Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement as the coffins were carried head-high into the church.
Mursi condemned the violence, telling Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II in a telephone call that any attack on the cathedral “is like an attack on me personally,” MENA reported.
Cars smashed, torched

After an emotional church service, where relatives of the dead wept, young Christians chanted anti-government slogans and started hurling rocks at police officers outside the cathedral, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.
Some protesters, believed to be Copts, smashed six private cars and set two on fire, prompting an angry reaction from Muslims living in the neighbourhood, who threw home-made petrol bombs and stones at them, a witness said.
Muslim residents said they had felt offended by the slogans shouted during the funeral, which was shown on television.
“The Christians chanted slogans provoking the residents,” said Ahmed Mahmoud, a Muslim. “Then the clashes started, they threw stones at each other and they (Christians) lit up a fire and they shot at us with cartridge (birdshot) guns.”
But Remon Wageh, a church worker, blamed what he called radical Muslims for the violence. “The minute the Christians loaded the coffins into cars after the service, a group of bearded radicals threw rocks at us,” he said.
“The police just stood by watching, doing nothing,” he said. “They protected the radicals who were hiding behind a line of officers in the street outside the cathedral.”
Police officers were not available to comment on the accusation. The interior minister later went to the scene at Mursi’s request to investigate but did not speak to the media.
Dozens of people, mostly Copts, took cover in the cathedral compound while petrol bombs and stones rained down from residential buildings across the street in the densely inhabited area, witnesses said. Some of them threw back stones.
Inside the sprawling compound, young people carried several of the wounded, some covered in blood, on stretchers to take them to hospitals. At least one appeared to have been hit by birdshot.
Solidarity

Visiting European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who met Mursi earlier in the day, said in a statement she was extremely worried and had contacted the president’s office to call for restraint and urge the security forces to control the violence.
Pope Tawadros condemned the violence and urged all Egyptians to stay calm and “think carefully” to preserve the nation.
A group of Muslims showed their solidarity with the Christians by attending the funeral service. The Copts allowed them to perform sunset prayers on the cathedral’s courtyard.
“They came to express their condolences and to show solidarity, to show this is not about Christians against Muslims,” said Wageh, who was moved by their gesture.
Actress Tayseer Fahmy, a Muslim, also came to the funeral. “Down, down with the regime of the Murshid,” she told Reuters, referring to the Brotherhood’s spiritual guide Mohamed Badie.
Mursi, who became Egypt’s first democratically elected civilian president in June, has promised to protect the rights of Copts, who make up about 10 percent of the 84 million people.
Christians have complained of attacks on churches by radical Islamists, incidents that have sharpened long-standing Coptic grievances about being sidelined in the workplace and in law.
The president’s office and top Muslim leaders were quick to condemn Friday’s clashes, which happened after Christian children scrawled on the wall of a Muslim religious institute, according to witnesses.
Still, many Christians at the funeral called for Mursi and his Islamist allies to go, some of them chanting “The blood of Christians is not cheap, Mursi, you villain.”
(REUTERS)

MEND Claims Responsibility For Killing 15 Policemen in Bayelsa

The Niger Delta militant group-Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Sunday, claimed responsibility for the weekend attack on a group of policemen in the creek of Bayelsa State during which 15 of the policemen were killed.

In a statement issued by its spokesman, Gbomo Jomo, yesterday, MEND described the attack as a warning to the Joint Task Force (JTF), codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, which had earlier dismissed its threat of launching a fight it codenamed, "Hurricane Exodus”.

"For dismissing Hurricane Exodus as an “empty threat” by the Nigerian security forces, heavily armed fighters from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (M.E.N.D), at about 17:00 Hrs., Saturday 06, April 2013, intercepted and engaged government security forces in a fierce gunfight lasting over forty (40) minutes at Azuzama, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

"The clash which happened in the river left over fifteen (15) security forces dead as we also lost two (2) of our fighters in the battle.

"We hope this encounter will serve as a lesson to the Joint Task Force (JTF) from making careless utterances that cannot be backed as we remain resolute in our resumption of hostilities.

"All oil companies and the public are advised to ignore the false sense of security been peddled by the JTF as well as the false comments from a “Comrade Azizi”, who claims to be in the spokesman for the group.

"This person is not known to MEND, does not speak for MEND and his utterances and style do not reflect our plans and actions,” the group said in the statement.

The confirmation by MEND came as the JTF said it had placed all its personnel in the Niger Delta on red alert , warning that it wouldn't tolerate any form of lawlessness from anybody or the gang of retrogrades parading themselves as MEND.

JTF spokesman, Lit Col Nwachukwu Onyeama, in a statement, said some group of policemen and not JTF soldiers heading to Oporoma in Ijaw South LGA of Bayelsa State for a burial of someone nicknamed "Young Shall Grow" were attacked by assailants when the boat they boarded developed a fault on the waterways.

He said that following this, the task force troop came to the rescue of the survivors.

"Our marine and air assets have also been mobilised and we have intensified our patrols to dominate both land and waterways to check mate any assailant.

" We will not permit any lawlessness that would jeopardise the peace in the region. We again call on all peace loving and progressive Niger Deltans to dissociate themselves, their communities and leadership from this gang of retrogrades parading themselves as MEND, “ the statement said.

It would be recalled that suspected militants believed to be those aggrieved with their former warlord, 'General' Young Shall Grow’ had in the early hours of Saturday sent 13 policemen to their early graves in a horrific manner in Azuzuama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State thus making good their threat to resume sporadic attacks in retaliation of the jail sentence recently handed to its leader, Henry Okah, in South Africa.

The ex-militants had also complained of being short-changed by  their leaders on the amnesty programme in the release of their monthly emoluments.

The Bayelsa killings came few days after MEND threatened to renewed hostilities in the region.

The unfortunate policemen in Bayelsa were said to have been gruesomely murdered as they were shot at close range while on an official assignment at the burial ceremony of the father of a former militant leader who is currently a senior special adviser on Marine Waterways to the Bayelsa State governor.

The former militants were said to have been infuriated by the action of their former leader whom they accused of using their amnesty money to organise the burial.

The 13 policemen  were said to have been shot severally and abandoned in the pool of their blood thus disrupting the burial ceremony as many of the villagers had to scamper for safety in the ensuing confusion.

The Bayelsa State Police Command’s B Operations Department was said to have  dispatched another team of policemen to the scene of the crime to recover the corpses of the slain policemen.

Confirming the killings, the state Commissioner of Police, Kingsley Omire, who addressed journalists on the matter, said 15 policemen were on official assignment before they were ambushed by the ex-militants.

He, however, denied that 13 members were killed, saying only four policemen were rescued while 11 were still missing.

Benin-Ore Road Crash: About 40 dead

Share this 

Continue reading the main story

At least 36 people, including children, have reportedly been killed in a major road accident in southern Nigeria.

The collision on the Benin-Ore motorway in Edo state involved a bus, a lorry and a petrol tanker, Nigerian officials were quoted as saying by news agencies.

The tanker exploded after the collision, and most of the victims were reportedly on board the bus. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

Nigeria has one of the worst road accident records in Africa.

Friday's collision happened at about 13:30 local time (12:30 GMT) near the Ugboguii village, the local officials say.

Jonas Agwu, a spokesman for Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Commission, said the dead included 30 passengers from the bus, the AFP news agency reports.

Four people from the tanker died as well as two children who were at a nearby mechanic workshop, the spokesman added. Three people were rescued.

The accident closed the busy motorway linking the commercial capital Lagos with the south-east of the country.

It comes just two days after a head-on collision between two buses in central Nigeria killed 18 people.

Last July, more than 100 people died in southern Nigeria after a tanker carrying petrol crashed.

The vehicle did not immediately burst into flames so nearby villagers rushed to collect the fuel. But the tanker then exploded, burning many of them to death.